Newsletter chitchat - November 12, 2024

[Cassel]

What do you do to prepare for winter?

Do you place holiday decorations ahead of the cold weather?

Do you have to put away different things before the snow (if you get snow)?

Do you have to rearrange anything?

Let's share and if you have photos, why not?

[Rene Marker]

In October I bring in the cushions from the patio furniture and put them in the basement and put the lawn chairs/table on the front porch away in the garage. I have a wind chime that was given to me when my father passed away that I only have out from April to October. It still looks like new since it hasn't endured the harsh winter weather (unlike my other wind chimes that end up falling apart). I also have 2 garden hose reels that are stored in the garage during the winter. That gets done in October before the temps hit freezing at night. Within the next couple of weeks, my neighbor will put the snow poles along the driveway that will guide him when he plows my drive when we have snow.

I don't do holiday decorations outside, heck, I don't do much inside either!

As far the your story about your husband and cleaning the gutters in the newsletter, I have never had to do that. Many years ago my father had gutter guards put on the gutters when he fell off the ladder and broke his wrist or elbow (don't remember which) while cleaning them out. Thankfully this is a one-story house so the fall wasn't that far. After putting on the guards he never had to clean them out again so it isn't something I've had to have done either.

[Ann Seeber]

Daughter Laurey came over yesterday and hauled the Cat Cabin from my front porch to the dumpster to remove the old straw so we could refill it for the winter. My little feral colony has grown from 2 black cats (Batman & a youngster (gender unknown, which I dubbed Robin) with the addition of 4 black half-grown kittens, for a total of 6 black cats! The littles are slowly becoming brave enough to approach the porch when I go out to feed everyone. Our temps have not been overly cold with occasional mornings under freezing, but these kids seem quite hardy. I try to feed them enough to build them up for cold weather. Here's a shot from my porch cam that shows the whole crew eating. That's Batman on the doormat,  supervising. 😉

Edited November 13 by Ann Seeber

[Cassel]

1 hour ago, Rene Marker said:

As far the your story about your husband and cleaning the gutters in the newsletter, I have never had to do that. Many years ago my father had gutter guards put on the gutters when he fell off the ladder and broke his wrist or elbow (don't remember which) while cleaning them out. Thankfully this is a one-story house so the fall wasn't that far. After putting on the guards he never had to clean them out again so it isn't something I've had to have done either.

Yeah, that is something I have considered. Typically, it is not really bad but there are some leaves accumulating on the back side of the house. On the front side, the trees are further away from the house so very little gathers in the gutter.

[Corrie Kinkel]

My husband was never happy when he had to climb on the ladder and did it only when absolutely necessary. I had to be home as well in case something went wrong and to hand him stuff he needed so he didn't had to climb up and down. I could give him what he wanted from the first floor window because we have a flat roof. Since we have solar panels there is a company coming to check on those and they remove the leaves when needed, but there are gutter guards. The only gutter  that must be cleared is the one on the shed and that isn't very high up, it is single story. Besides that we now have moved the garden chair cushions inside and the chairs are in the shed. The table stays outside during the winter and I put some baskets or pots with for instance cyclamen on them to watch from the living; our winters are mostly mild with not much or no snow. It is a nice spot to have some X-mas decorations as well, but that is for december. Not all the leaves are already from the trees or shrubs therefore we have to sweep the path and the patio regularly.

[Rene Marker]

3 hours ago, Cassel said:

Yeah, that is something I have considered. Typically, it is not really bad but there are some leaves accumulating on the back side of the house. On the front side, the trees are further away from the house so very little gathers in the gutter.

None of the trees in our yard were that close to the house at the time Dad had his accident. We still got leaves in the gutters.

[Susan Ewart]

5 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

Daughter Laurey came over yesterday and hauled the Cat Cabin from my front porch to the dumpster to remove the old straw so we could refill it for the winter. My little feral colony has grown from 2 black cats (Batman & a youngster (gender unknown, which I dubbed Robin) with the addition of 4 black half-grown kittens, for a total of 6 black cats! The littles are slowly becoming brave enough to approach the porch when I go out to feed everyone. Our temps have not been overly cold with occasional mornings under freezing, but these kids seem quite hardy. I try to feed them enough to build them up for cold weather. Here's a shot from my porch cam that shows the whole crew eating. That's Batman on the doormat,  supervising. 😉

This is a cool shot.  Is there two doors into your unit?  I like the little Cat Cabin.  Are they using it yet?  

[Susan Ewart]

We do much the same.  Move the cushions and lawn furniture in one of the garages.  I have an extra step of taking my herbs in to the little garage (which is also part of my second workout area, with equipment too tall to fit in the house).  The herbs are parsley, thyme and rosemary and it smells great in there right now.  they are happy with their lights and the warmth and there's even water in there so I don't have to lug water around in the winter.  The bird baths in early October (very late for me this year) get washed and sanitized, dried and put away for the winter and the winter bird bath comes out.  it's just a big plastic dog dish with a big rock in it so the LBJs don't drown. Hubby does the leaves with a special something-or-other on the lawn mower which chews up the leaves so small it fits in the organics bin.  No more hours of raking and putting it the back of the truck to take to the organics dump.  I put light outside only if it hasn't snowed or isn't too too cold yet.  Or sometimes not at all.  I love Christmas, but I'm not outside so I decorate inside.  It's a lot but contained only to the living room and dining room.  I'm finding it a big job these days and I am contemplating not putting anything out this year.  I have a 12 long wall unit that I have to UNdecorate before I decorate.  It's two full days of work if I do it all.  However, I also don't want to have regrets because of the greyness of winter I love the warmth the warm white and colored lights and I like to see my decorations once a year.  I have been known to take everything down on the 25th.  Yes, I love Christmas, but only up to the 24th, my favorite day, after that, I don't care about Christmas anymore and usually want it gone and get on with the new year.  I am a weirdo.

[Ann Seeber]

1 hour ago, Susan Ewart said:

This is a cool shot.  Is there two doors into your unit?  I like the little Cat Cabin.  Are they using it yet?  

The one on the left is mine; the other is my upstairs neighbor. Yes, they use the Cabin. Batman slithers out in the morning all covered with straw! Sometimes, if all the littles get in there, Batman sleeps on the doormat. I've seen a large pileup of "black blobs" where they're all cuddling there. 😄 He's their mentor and probably the Baby Daddy from before he was neutered. I hear I'm getting a heated floor for the cabin for Christmas! There's a plug right behind it. I think it keeps the heat a little over 40F/4.4C to keep it comfy.

[Ann Seeber]

1 hour ago, Susan Ewart said:

so the LBJs don't drown

true, songbirds can't swim and usually have shortish legs. 🐦

[Corrie Kinkel]

1 hour ago, Susan Ewart said:

We do much the same.  Move the cushions and lawn furniture in one of the garages.  I have an extra step of taking my herbs in to the little garage (which is also part of my second workout area, with equipment too tall to fit in the house).  The herbs are parsley, thyme and rosemary and it smells great in there right now.  they are happy with their lights and the warmth and there's even water in there so I don't have to lug water around in the winter.  The bird baths in early October (very late for me this year) get washed and sanitized, dried and put away for the winter and the winter bird bath comes out.  it's just a big plastic dog dish with a big rock in it so the LBJs don't drown. Hubby does the leaves with a special something-or-other on the lawn mower which chews up the leaves so small it fits in the organics bin.  No more hours of raking and putting it the back of the truck to take to the organics dump.  I put light outside only if it hasn't snowed or isn't too too cold yet.  Or sometimes not at all.  I love Christmas, but I'm not outside so I decorate inside.  It's a lot but contained only to the living room and dining room.  I'm finding it a big job these days and I am contemplating not putting anything out this year.  I have a 12 long wall unit that I have to UNdecorate before I decorate.  It's two full days of work if I do it all.  However, I also don't want to have regrets because of the greyness of winter I love the warmth the warm white and colored lights and I like to see my decorations once a year.  I have been known to take everything down on the 25th.  Yes, I love Christmas, but only up to the 24th, my favorite day, after that, I don't care about Christmas anymore and usually want it gone and get on with the new year.  I am a weirdo.

OK I'm not as bad as you but I put my decorations away on the 2nd of January, which is almost as much work as getting them up in the first place. One year we thought well lets us forget about the decorations this year with my husband still not very well after his surgery in november. I only bought us a bouquet of flowers, but the day before Christmas we decorated the living. Without it didn't feel like Christmas at all!

[Susan Ewart]

9 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

The one on the left is mine; the other is my upstairs neighbor. Yes, they use the Cabin. Batman slithers out in the morning all covered with straw! Sometimes, if all the littles get in there, Batman sleeps on the doormat. I've seen a large pileup of "black blobs" where they're all cuddling there. 😄 He's their mentor and probably the Baby Daddy from before he was neutered. I hear I'm getting a heated floor for the cabin for Christmas! There's a plug right behind it. I think it keeps the heat a little over 40F/4.4C to keep it comfy.

That's wonderful news.  They will be all toasty warm and you wont have to worry about them.  I'd say they must be the cutest black blobs ever!  

[Susan Ewart]

9 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

true, songbirds can't swim and usually have shortish legs. 🐦

So true.  the Magpies are a little disgruntled because it's a tighter squeeze, but they make due.  

[Susan Ewart]

9 hours ago, Corrie Kinkel said:

OK I'm not as bad as you but I put my decorations away on the 2nd of January, which is almost as much work as getting them up in the first place. One year we thought well lets us forget about the decorations this year with my husband still not very well after his surgery in november. I only bought us a bouquet of flowers, but the day before Christmas we decorated the living. Without it didn't feel like Christmas at all!

That's what I'm worried about.  That it wont feel like Christmas and I'll regret it.  I agree, it's so much work to put out and the same amount to put back.  That's why I like to get it out early, so it feels like all the energy is worth it.  

[Julie Magerka]

On 11/13/2024 at 2:54 PM, Susan Ewart said:

We do much the same.  Move the cushions and lawn furniture in one of the garages.  I have an extra step of taking my herbs in to the little garage (which is also part of my second workout area, with equipment too tall to fit in the house).  The herbs are parsley, thyme and rosemary and it smells great in there right now.  they are happy with their lights and the warmth and there's even water in there so I don't have to lug water around in the winter.  The bird baths in early October (very late for me this year) get washed and sanitized, dried and put away for the winter and the winter bird bath comes out.  it's just a big plastic dog dish with a big rock in it so the LBJs don't drown. Hubby does the leaves with a special something-or-other on the lawn mower which chews up the leaves so small it fits in the organics bin.  No more hours of raking and putting it the back of the truck to take to the organics dump.  I put light outside only if it hasn't snowed or isn't too too cold yet.  Or sometimes not at all.  I love Christmas, but I'm not outside so I decorate inside.  It's a lot but contained only to the living room and dining room.  I'm finding it a big job these days and I am contemplating not putting anything out this year.  I have a 12 long wall unit that I have to UNdecorate before I decorate.  It's two full days of work if I do it all.  However, I also don't want to have regrets because of the greyness of winter I love the warmth the warm white and colored lights and I like to see my decorations once a year.  I have been known to take everything down on the 25th.  Yes, I love Christmas, but only up to the 24th, my favorite day, after that, I don't care about Christmas anymore and usually want it gone and get on with the new year.  I am a weirdo.

You are NOT a weirdo about the decorations coming down. I too find it tiresome by the 24th, or maybe even the 23rd! By then I've heard more repetitive Christmas music than I can tolerate for weeks on end everywhere I go.

[Anne Lamp]

I don't have out side decorations except for the pumpkins I put out as soon as they are available cheap before Halloween.  Unless the squirrels decide to decorate them for me I leave them up until after Thanksgiving.  I usually set them on my covered porch after that and when we get a pretty good snow, I take them out into the yard and break them open so the squirrels can eat the seeds and sometime quite a bit of the flesh too.  I don't put up my inside Christmas deco up until after Thanksgiving and they come down right after the new year.  That time frame started when we worked at some places that we had to set up  for, (and sometime work at) Christmas parties  & clean up from the next day.  That week after Christmas was our time to enjoy our own deco.

[Susan Ewart]

1 hour ago, Julie Magerka said:

You are NOT a weirdo about the decorations coming down. I too find it tiresome by the 24th, or maybe even the 23rd! By then I've heard more repetitive Christmas music than I can tolerate for weeks on end everywhere I go.

Actually, I like the music...further proof of weirdness.  I will listen to it anytime I'm creating or doing photography (in studio).  Also, when we used to camp in the summer, my hubby would turn on the Christmas music for me because that's what we listened too when we were driving.  He actually hates Christmas, but tolerates it and encourages me to put up decorations and lights.  I think aliens abducted him and I'm actually living with an alien (who loves Christmas).  

[Mary Solaas]

43 minutes ago, Susan Ewart said:

Actually, I like the music...further proof of weirdness.  I will listen to it anytime I'm creating or doing photography (in studio).  Also, when we used to camp in the summer, my hubby would turn on the Christmas music for me because that's what we listened too when we were driving.  He actually hates Christmas, but tolerates it and encourages me to put up decorations and lights.  I think aliens abducted him and I'm actually living with an alien (who loves Christmas).  

Oh, Susan. I love Christmas music anytime, any place. My young grandchild and I would listen to 2 of our favorite tapes (at that time it was tapes - I've since gotten a car with a CD player and play those same songs on CD now.) It was Jim Nabors and Nat King Cole who were our favorites. and we would put it on when we went for a drive or when we went to and from Church.  Such happy times!

[Ann Seeber]

40 minutes ago, Mary Solaas said:

It was Jim Nabors

Wasn't his spectacular voice a revelation when all we knew was a "hayseed character" from TV? 

[Corrie Kinkel]

1 hour ago, Susan Ewart said:

Actually, I like the music...further proof of weirdness.  I will listen to it anytime I'm creating or doing photography (in studio).  Also, when we used to camp in the summer, my hubby would turn on the Christmas music for me because that's what we listened too when we were driving.  He actually hates Christmas, but tolerates it and encourages me to put up decorations and lights.  I think aliens abducted him and I'm actually living with an alien (who loves Christmas).  

Over here we have a radio station that from December 1st is non-stop playing Christmas music and I like it when it starts but when it is almost the 24th or 25th I can't listen to it any longer.

[Susan Ewart]

3 hours ago, Mary Solaas said:

Oh, Susan. I love Christmas music anytime, any place. My young grandchild and I would listen to 2 of our favorite tapes (at that time it was tapes - I've since gotten a car with a CD player and play those same songs on CD now.) It was Jim Nabors and Nat King Cole who were our favorites. and we would put it on when we went for a drive or when we went to and from Church.  Such happy times!

I love the old Christmas music best.  the ones you mentioned and Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Vince Guaraldi (Charlie Brown - one my all time favorites) and so many more.  My parents has the Time-Life Album set.  It is a special memory I have when my mom would play them for me.  

[Rene Marker]

3 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

Wasn't his spectacular voice a revelation when all we knew was a "hayseed character" from TV? 

Listening to him singing Back Home in Indiana at the Indianapolis 500 every year was such a treat. It just isn't the same these days.

[Rene Marker]

Christmas has been hard for me since Mom passed away in 1996 on December 26th. I've gone through phases where I decorate a lot or don't decorate at all. Most people get their seasonal depression in January... not me, it starts right after Thanksgiving. On January 1st, I'm a whole new person! The last couple of years I haven't done much decorating at all. Last year was very little because of everything going on and having surgery on the 18th. I just didn't have the energy to do it. I hope to do more this year to celebrate my health being much better!

For a few years, Christmas music was a trigger for me and I couldn't listen to it. Still can't listen to certain songs as they were favorites of Mom. I have some Christmas music of artists (mainly country) that I do enjoy listening to.

But what turns me off the most is the constant Christmas movies on all the different Hallmark channels starting in late October (and can't forget the whole month of July). I used to enjoy them but not anymore.

[Julie Magerka]

5 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

Actually, I like the music...further proof of weirdness.  I will listen to it anytime I'm creating or doing photography (in studio).  Also, when we used to camp in the summer, my hubby would turn on the Christmas music for me because that's what we listened too when we were driving.  He actually hates Christmas, but tolerates it and encourages me to put up decorations and lights.  I think aliens abducted him and I'm actually living with an alien (who loves Christmas).  

He's a tolerant man.

[Julie Magerka]

8 minutes ago, Rene Marker said:

Christmas has been hard for me since Mom passed away in 1996 on December 26th. I've gone through phases where I decorate a lot or don't decorate at all. Most people get their seasonal depression in January... not me, it starts right after Thanksgiving. On January 1st, I'm a whole new person! The last couple of years I haven't done much decorating at all. Last year was very little because of everything going on and having surgery on the 18th. I just didn't have the energy to do it. I hope to do more this year to celebrate my health being much better!

For a few years, Christmas music was a trigger for me and I couldn't listen to it. Still can't listen to certain songs as they were favorites of Mom. I have some Christmas music of artists (mainly country) that I do enjoy listening to.

But what turns me off the most is the constant Christmas movies on all the different Hallmark channels starting in late October (and can't forget the whole month of July). I used to enjoy them but not anymore.

I really understand how you feel Rene. After my mother died, holidays were very difficult for such a long time. I hope it gets better for you over time.